Railway time-signal



1(No Model 2 sheets-sheet 1.

' E. FONTAINE.

RA ILW.9\.Y4 TIME SIGNAL.

'Nm-413.825. Patented out. 29, 1889.A

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PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE rorrrAINE, OE AUBUENDALE, OHIO.

RAILWAY TIM E-sle NAL.

. sPEoIFIcATroN v,of which the following lis a specication, reference being had therein 4to the accompanying drawings. l This invention relates to new and useful improvements in time-signals V for railwaytrains; and it relates more specifically to that class of time-signals designed to indicate the length of `time since vthe last train has passed the signal, whereby the engineer in charge of the train following thereafter may keep at a safe distance behind, and thus avert a possible collision arising from the trains following each other too closely.

To this end my invention consists of the following arrangement and combination of parts, to wit: a minute-dial at thedesired station or point on' thetrack so as to be plainly visible to the engineer of an approaching train and provided with an index-hand arranged to indicate the time elapsed up to a certain number of minutessay twentywhich may be regarded as a sufcient 'time allowance for the preceding train to be out of reach of danger, a clock-work impelled by a spring to operate the index-hand ofvthe dial,

a lever projecting into proximity to a raill to be operated by the passing train, an air-comi pressing device actuated by said lever to com-f press the air, an air-receiving cylinder into which said compressed air is forced to actuate are intended to Operate as follows: Normally a piston therein, and gear-connection from said piston to the index-hand to set the latter backv to zero and to simultaneously wind the clock-spring, all as more fully hereinafter dei scribed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-A Figure-l is an elevation, partly in section, of my improved time-signal. Fig. 2 is a plan of the lever and its housing. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of a portion of the lever. Fig. 4. is an enlarged elevation of the clock mechanism and the connections therewith. Fig. 5 is a plan of Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the friction-clutch in the clock cross-section through the dial.

forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,825, dated 'October 29, 1889. Application tiled March 9, 1889. Serial No.' 302,` 672. (No model.) I

A is one of the track-rails.

B is a lever inolosed in a housing C.

Djs an abutment in the housing to support it on the foot of the rail.

E are hook-bolts to clamp the housing to the rail. A Y F is the fulcrum-pn of the lever, secured in the side walls of the housing.

G is a head formed at the yfree end of the lever parallel tothe rail and in close proximity thereto, with its upper face convex or oppositely inclined to'avod obstructing the wheel.

H is the long arm of the lever, made slightly elastic by engaging its inner end movably in a socket formed in the body of the lever and bolting it to a stub-arm I, with an elastic cushion J interposed between.

K is an air-cylinder secured to the under side of the housing of the lever.

Lis the piston of the cylinder.

M is a link pivotally connecting the pistonrod to the long arm ofthe lever. Y N is an induction-port. l O is an inductionpipe communicating therewith.

P is an inwardly-opening check-valve in the induction-pipe.

Q, is the eduction-port of the cylinder.

R is an eduction-pipe leading to the signal.

S is an outwardly-opening check-valve in the eduction-pipe, and T is a spring abutting at one end against a fixed abutment of the lhousing to normally keep the lever in the position shown in Fig. l. Y

The parts of the device thus far described by actuate the lever to raise the piston, thus t expelling the air in the upper end of the piston through the eduction-port Q into the educt-ion-pipe R, the space underneath the piston being filled by air drawn in through the induction-port N, to which the inductionpipe O is connected for the purpose of pre- ICO venting dust or sand from being drawn into the cylinder, and this induction-pipe is preferably provided at its upper end with the hood or neck O. The tendency of the spring T naturally tends to immediately restore the normal position of the lever as soon as the wheel has passed; but this is prevented by the check-valve P in the induction-pi pe, which prevents the air below the piston from escaping out of the cylinder. Thus the lever is held in its depressed condition long enough to prevent it from being repeatedly acted on by every wheel in the train. To allow it to go back to its normal position after the train has passed, I make the piston L fit the cylinder K non-air-tight, so that the piston may slowly return to its normal position under the tension ot' the spring T by allowing the air underneath the piston to find its, way gradually to the top of the piston as it descends. To prevent the violent actuation of the piston, the long arm of the lever H is made slightly elastic, in the manner described.

rlhe whole device, as shown and described, is placed between two ties in the rails, and all but the head of the lever is covered by the housing to prevent its being tampered with, and for the same purpose the spring T is made heavy enough to prevent the lever from being depressed, except under the great Weight of a train passing over. The manner of securing the housing to the rail keeps the head of the lever in its relative position to the rail under all changes of the track.

The construction and operation of the other parts of the device are as follows:

a is a hollow post in close proximity to the track and supporting on top the minutedial b at a convenient height to be readily seen and real by the engineer of the approaching train.

c is a small box, forming a part of the post, at a suitable height from the ground convenient for inspecting.

d is the door of the box, provided with a suitable locking device. y

e is an air-receiving cylinder open on top and connected at the bottom with the pipe R, leading from the air-compressing device afore described. f is a movable piston in that cylinder. g isits piston-rod, passing through a vertical guide h in the upper end of the piston and carrying a rack-bar g upon one side.

7' is a gearwheel engaging with the rackbar. k is the horizontal arbor of a clock mechanism, upon which said gear-wheel is secured. l is a bearing in which said arbor is journaled.

m is a bevel-pinion secured on the arbor 7c. n is a bevel-pinion meshing therewith.

o is a vertical signal staff or shaft extending into the top of the post and having the bevel-.pinion n secured to its lower end.

p is a vertical bearing for the lower end of the shaft.

q is a bevel-pinion on the upper end of the shaft.

r and r are two bevel-pinions loosely journaled upon the horizontal shaft r2 and engaging with the bevel-pinion q on opposite sides.

s and s' are the index-hands carried by the pinions r and r upon opposite sides of the dial.

t is a friction-clutch consisting of the fast member or dog t and the loose member or worm gear-wheel t2. As shown in Fig. 6 in detail, theloose member t2 has an annular flanged hub t3, in which the expansion-ring t" is engaged. This expansion-ring is divided at t", and the fast member or dog t engages with a wedge-shaped hinged nose t6 between the severed ends, and a fixed stop t7, projecting inwardly from the expansion-ring, cn gages with the tail t8 of the dog when the latter is revolving in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 6.

The operation of the clutch will be readily understood from this description to be as follows: If the arbor-shaft k revolves in the direction of the arrow shown in full lines, the dog will merely carry the loose ring; but if it revolves in the opposite direction itsl wedgeshaped nose will expand the ring within the fiange t3, and thereby carry the worm gearwheel or loose member with it. The latter engages with a worm u on the shaft u', which is journaled in vertical bearings and carries at itsl upper end the escape-wheel u of an escapement w. g/is the balance-wheel 'controlling the escapement. The combination last described forms a clock mechanism, the impelling force of which is supplied bya clockspring secured in its eye to the arbor or to a winding-drum on the same, and with its free end to the frame of theA clock mechanism.

The parts being arranged and constructed as shown and described, they are intended to operate as follows: The compressed air from the air-compressing cylinder K, expelled by the passing of the train in the manner afore described, is forced through the eduction-pipeV R into the air-,receiving cylinder e, the piston of which is thereby quickly forced upward, and by the engagement of its piston-rod into the gear-wheelj will revolve the arbor' k and communicate motion, through the medium of the bevel-pinions m n, to the shaft o, which in turn communicates motion, through the bevel-pinions q r r', to the index-hands s and s', which are thereby set at zero on the respective sides of the dial. At the same time with the actuation of the index-hands the clockspring x is wound, but the clutch is thrown out of gear during the action of winding. As soon as the piston has been pushed out to its farthest limit, (at which the index-hands are set at zero,) the force of the spring in unwinding will throw the clutch into gea-r, and, controlled by the clock mechanism, the arbor 7c will revolve in the opposite direction and communicate its motionto the index-hands IOO IIO

Y ated by the passing train on its" short arm,

of the dial to indicate the time thereon, in

minutes, elapsing since the train has passed the signal. The piston inthe air-cylinder c' gradually descends correspondingly to the advance ofthe index-hand on the dial, and is in its lowest position when the index-hands have arrived at their limit of time, thus arresting the motion of the arbor k and stop-` ping the clock mechanism.` Assoo'n as an-l .other train passes the operation is repeated.

permit-the escape of the compressed air when the piston is expelled, and to prevent the air in the cylinder efrom resisting the descent of the piston vthe latter is either made to tit the cylinder non-air-tight, so as to permit 'fthe gradual. escape of the air, or a little'air-valve .a is made in the piston, which closes while the piston is forced-out, but allows the gradual escape as the piston descends.

What I claim'as my invention is 1. In an automatic railway time-signal, a" signal -actuating lever pivotally fulcrumed, and having a short arm extending into proximity to the lrail and a resilientlyjointed long arm connected to the signaling devices, substantially as described. [It 2;- In'lan automatic railway time-signal,the"y lever B, having a jointed long arm and actuthereon, and the elastic cushion J, secured between, substantially as described. l

4. The combination, with the rail, of th j signal-actuating lever B,the housing C, in

substantially as described.

which said lever' is fulcrumed', and the clip E,

' securing the housing to the rail, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the signal-actu` ating lever operated by a passing train and consisting of two parts resiliently jointed together, of an air-compressingv device consisting of a cylinder and a piston operated' by said lever, and of induction and eduction ports upon opposite ends of the cylinder, whereby the device operates asa dash-pot,

6. uThe combination, with the signal-actuating lever operated by the Ypassing train, of the air-cylinder K, the piston L, actuated by said lever and operating non-air-tight in said piston, the induction-valve communicating with one end of saidcylinder, and the eduction-valve S, communicating with the opposite end of the piston, substantiallyas described.

7. The combination of the signal-actuating lever B, provided with the cross-headG and the arm H, the housing O,inclosing said leverf and provided with the abutment D, the clampbolts E, securing said housing to the rail, the air-compressing cylinder K, secured lto the housing, and the piston L, connected to the lever, substantially as described.

'8; The'combination, with the rail, of thelever B, provided with the cross-head Gr and the resiliently-jointed arm H, the housing C, in which said lever is fulcrumed, the abutment D of the housing fitted onto the rail, the clips E, securing the housing to the rail, the spring T, the air-cylinder K, secured to the housing, the piston L, the link; M, connecting the pis- 'ton-rod andthe arm H of the lever, the induction-port N, the induction-valve P, the yinduction-pipe O, the eduction-port Q, the eduction-Valve S, and the eduction-pipe R, all combined and arranged to operate substantially as described.

l 9. The combination, with the lever consist ing ot` two parts resiliently jointed together vand the air-compressing device actuated by the passing train, of the air-receiving cylinder, the rising andfalling piston in said cylinder,

the gear mechanism connecting it with the in- ".fdex-hand, the vent and automatically-operating'valve for the escape of the compressed fir from the cylinder after the piston is forced up, and the air-relief for the receding piston, -substantially as described.

10. The combination of the air-receiving cylinder e, the piston f,actuated by the passing train, the piston-rod g, provided with a rack- 'bar, the vclock mechanism provided with the actuating-spring and adapted to Wind on its arbor, the gearwheel j, engaging with the rack-bar, the gear mechanism connecting the index with the arbor of the clock mechanism, and the clutch t on the arbor, substantially as described. j Y

l1. The combination of the index-hands s on opposite sidesof the signal-dial, the shaft r2, the bevel-pinions fr r', jo'urnaled upon said'shaftand carrying the index-hands, the, intermeshing bevel-pinion q, the vertical shaft v0, carrying the said pinion, the bevel-pinion n on the lower end of said shaft, the clock 'mechanism the arbor kof the clock mechanism, and the bevel-'pinionm'onsaid arbor, engaging with the bevel-pinion n, substantially "as described. l

12. The combination, with the actuatinglever operated by a passing train and lits aircompressing device actuated by said lever, of the hollow post d, provided with the box c, the

IIO

`time-signal mounted on top of said post, the

air-receiving 'cylinder c, provided with the piston. f, the pipe R, connecting the air-receiving cylinder with the air-compressing de- Vice, the clock mechanism mounted in the' Intestimony whereof I axmysignature, in box c, Jche gear mechanism connecting the presence of two witnesses, this 22d day of arbor k of said clock mechanism With the pis- January7 1889.

J[on of the air-receiving cylinder, and the sig- EUGENE FONTAINE. 5 nal-staff and gear mechanism connecting` said fitnessesz arbor with the index-hands, substantially as J. PAUL MAYER,

described. A. B. EATON. 

